As COVID-19 continues, cultivating emotional wellness and healthy habits is crucial for success
In May, my blog post for Mental Health Awareness Month highlighted some strategies for self-care and emotional wellbeing in the midst of COVID-19 surges. Now, only a few months later, stress and anxiety over the virus include a new challenge: pandemic fatigue.
The mix of uncertainty, stay-at-home orders, evolving science, political wildfires, social isolation, constant vigilance over health, and back-to-school issues aren’t just making people weary—they’re leading to widespread emotional exhaustion.
UCLA experts note that wrestling with intense emotions drains your energy, and can leave you feeling burned out but still in a heightened state of worry and frustration. Because of that, you may notice changed behaviors, such as:
- Constant racing thoughts
- Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
- Lack of interest in maintaining social connections
- Quick to anger, and snap easily
- Lack of motivation and frequent procrastination
- Difficulty focusing or paying attention
- Eat or sleep much more or much less than usual
- Sudden mood changes, especially from sadness to irritability
Many people may be experiencing more than one change on this list, or even all of them. And that’s okay. It’s important to acknowledge that this is an incredibly unprecedented situation that no one has ever navigated before—although what you’re feeling is unique to you, it’s also helpful to know you’re not alone if you’re overwhelmed and stressed.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take to be mindful of your mental health and those around you. Here are six practices I find especially helpful:
- Breathe. Notice how you feel and identify the feelings you’re having. It’s okay to acknowledge when things are feeling challenging or you’re not feeling quite like yourself.
- Take breaks from COVID-19 content and alarming news. In addition to “pandemic fatigue,” the other new phrase these days is “doomscrolling.” That’s when you ping from one news source or social media platform to another, consuming information as you go. I know it can be tough to shut it all off, and it might feel like you’ll miss something if you do. But I promise, you won’t. Take some time off from scrolling, even if that means the next hour. The news cycle will still be there when you come back from your break.
- Make time to sleep and exercise. During the early part of the pandemic, these became difficult for many people to maintain, and as COVID-19 continues, you may have gotten totally out of the habit of keeping a regular bedtime and making an effort to exercise. But these are so vital, and if you don’t keep them up, it’s likely that you’re going to feel depleted faster. And you can’t fill others’ cups if yours is empty.
- Reach out and stay connected. Social time is more important than ever, but this is another area where you may have gotten out of the habit of keeping in touch. Think about the people you used to invite over for dinner, or out for coffee, or even just text with. Are they still in your life? If those connections have faltered, it’s time to re-establish them.
- Find some time for quiet. Even if it’s only a couple minutes a day, it makes a difference. To make the most of this approach, consider trying it at about the same time every day, like noon, for 10 minutes. Sit outside if it’s nice, breathe in some fresh air, and enjoy the reset.
- Seek help if you feel overwhelmed or unsafe. As I said before, we’re all trying to adjust right now, and it’s okay if you need to reach out to a professional, that’s why they’re there. And if you feel unsafe in your home, please reach out, there are many, many resources available for you. For anyone in need of additional help or resources, the CDC has compiled contact information for various organizations equipped to provide support: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
If you’re a manager looking to support your team, Harvard Business Review offers excellent advice on bolstering mental health for employees, including being vulnerable yourself, building a culture of connection, and modeling healthy behaviors.
Living and leading with kindness and compassion for ourselves and others has become a focus in the COVID-19 era. Let’s embrace this as a silver-lining experience, and hope that our self-care and thoughtful habits become ingrained as we navigate toward what lies ahead. May we find peace, feel the strength of our support networks, and always remember that we’re in this together.